


Rebel Without a Cause

by Pinkcupcake81



Category: Dancing with the Stars (US) RPF, Figure Skating RPF
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-16
Updated: 2015-02-23
Packaged: 2018-02-25 15:40:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2627123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pinkcupcake81/pseuds/Pinkcupcake81
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU fic - So what if Meryl wasn't the good girl we all know and love?  A very different Meryl finds herself in hot water - who will turn her life around?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1 - Fraternising With the Enemy

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone!
> 
> Well I finally sat down and started my new fic. I do hope you enjoy it, it’s very different to Two Halves of a Whole. This is something of a prologue chapter which sets up the whole story. Again, this is fic is completely AU – more will be explained as the story progresses. Please leave me comments on what you thought! Just a quick warning – there’s quite a lot of swearing in this!

**Rebel Without a Cause – Chapter 1 – Fraternising With the Enemy**

“Will you quit pacing and sit down?” Meryl rolled her eyes at her partner, watching with increasing annoyance as Charlie wore a hole in the non-descript hallway carpet.

“I can’t, I’m nervous,” he replied tersely, throwing a thinly-veiled look of contempt in her direction.

She puffed out her cheeks in frustration and let her head drop back against the wall, crossing and re-crossing her legs as she perched on the uncomfortable chair. Meryl frickin’ hated waiting. Charlie glanced out of the window.

“It’s snowing,” he observed casually, wanting to break the uncomfortable silence which had fallen between them.

“It’s February in Colorado Springs, of course it’s snowing, dumbass,” Meryl sassed, reaching down to her feet to pick up her bag, rummaging through it for the one thing she knew could calm her down.

Charlie’s eyes narrowed in a way that reminded her of a petulant toddler, “May I just remind you that I’m here as support for _you?_ It’s not me who’s been dragged in front of the USFS Disciplinary Board, so a little gratefulness wouldn’t go amiss Mer!”

She rolled her eyes again, finally finding her target at the bottom of her bag. “I still don’t even know what the big deal is,” she shrugged, “So a photo or two appeared on the internet, it’s not the end of the World.”

Charlie sat down in the chair next to her with a resounding thump and dropped his head into his hands, leaning his elbows on his knees. “Mer, have you any idea how many people have seen those photos now?” he began, leading into a rant which sounded remarkably similar to the one she’d got from Marina, her agent, and her mother, amongst others. She instantly switched off, putting her bag back on the floor and…

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Charlie whipped his head up from his hands, reaching out to try to grab the cigarette from her hand as she was literally about to light it. “You can’t smoke in here!”

She shrugged him away, flicking the lighter once again until she’d lit up, inhaling deeply and relaxing back into her chair, exhaling the smoke with a blissful grin as Charlie’s indignation grew; it was deeply satisfying to piss him off. “I don’t see anyone here to stop me,” she smiled.

“I still can’t believe you don’t see the irony of an elite athlete smoking,” he stood up, moving away from her towards the window again.

“It calms me down, and believe me, I need it right now. Besides, how the hell else am I meant to maintain my weight at this level? I’d be eating all the time if it weren’t for these.”

He shook his head and pulled his phone from his jacket pocket, fiddling with it idly as she continued to smoke.

“I don’t know what the hell is taking them so long,” she wondered aloud, “They told us to be here by eleven and it’s eleven-twenty just now.”

He gave a scoff of laughter and she looked up at him again, “What?”

“They told us eleven-thirty. I lied and told you eleven so that I actually stood some chance of getting you here on time. How was I to know that you wouldn’t be late for once?”

She rolled her eyes again and focused on the snow falling outside the window, swirling haphazardly through the air and floating gently onto the window sill, condensation beginning to fog the pane of glass against the cold.

“You’ve made TMZ again, congratulations!” Charlie interrupted her thoughts, sarcastically waving his phone at her.

“Ugh…” she let her head drop back against the wall with a thud, immediately regretting it as pain seared through it. “I can’t believe the whole world has seen me with fucking Scott Moir!”

“I love that your biggest concern about these pictures is who you were photographed with,” he laughed, “Seriously Mer, priorities.”

She chuckled bitterly and took another drag of her cigarette, “No, but seriously, why couldn’t they have caught me with someone else? No, the one time I get caught by the paparazzi it’s with Scott _I think plaid is a primary color_ Moir – why couldn’t they have taken a photo of me fucking Fabian Bourzat – at least he’s cool!”

“Mer, I know you’ve got your image to think about, but maybe you should focus more on avoiding being photographed in compromising positions and less on who you get yourself into compromising positions with,” Charlie suggested helpfully. “I mean for fuck’s sake Meryl, the headline on this article is _“Fraternising with the Enemy – You’re Doing it Right!”_

“Charlie, will you quit looking at those pictures you perv? I don’t know whether you’re more excited to see me with my legs wrapped round Scott or him with his pants down, and frankly it’s worrying me. Am I going to need to call Tanith to have a talk with her?”

“Don’t bring Tanith into this, she’s already mad at you,” Charlie warned.

“So what’s new?” Meryl chuckled, “Seriously Chuck, we both know Tanith hates my guts. It’s not like the two of us and Tessa were ever going to be having girls’ nights and braiding one another’s hair.”

“That doesn’t mean you actively have to wind them up though, Mer,” Charlie sighed, “I mean Tessa is so mad at you about this whole mess.”

Meryl shrugged, standing and sashaying towards the window, pushing it open to throw her cigarette butt outside, a cold blast immediately filling the hallway.

“I think Tessa needs to get a grip. She constantly maintains that there’s nothing going on between her and Scott and that she doesn’t think of him that way, but it’s pretty clear she doesn’t want anyone else having him either. It’s not like I’ve stolen Scott away from her, hell that was definitely a one-time deal.”

“She’s spent the whole of this week glaring daggers at you,” Charlie responded, “And Mer, talking about the size of Scott’s dick and how awesome he was within hearing distance of her at every opportunity was just purposely trying to wind her up.”

“Hey, it wasn’t that great at the time, I had to get something worthwhile out of the whole experience, even if it was just pissing Tessa off!” she protested with a grin. “Besides, maybe I’ve just made the fucking Romeo and Juliet of Canton finally admit they’ve got feelings for each other and stop torturing the rest of us with their painful dramatics.”

She was about to launch further into an explanation, when the door they were sat outside of opened suddenly and a woman Meryl vaguely remembered as part of the Disciplinary Committee appeared.

“Meryl, Charlie, we’re ready for you now. Please come in.”

Compared to the hallway, the board room was warmer but the stares were anything but as they headed into the room at took their seats at one side of the large oak table. At the other side sat the four members of the USFS who’d convened to deal with what had been referred to as _The Meryl Davis Problem,_ each looking like they’d happily string her up by her ankles for bringing the federation into disrepute.

“So Meryl, we appreciate you coming here today, and thank you as well Charlie, it’s good that we can discuss this with both of you,” began the President, trying to smile at them through obviously gritted teeth.

“You’ll obviously be aware of why we had to call you here today. The situation which arose on social media earlier this week has caused considerable embarrassment for the USFS and we’ve had several meetings with our Disciplinary Committee as well as our Executive Board to discuss how best to deal with the whole debacle. Meryl, this is not the first time your name has been discussed at one of these meetings and the general consensus among the committee was that something had to be done.”

“Sir, I do understand the severity of what happened this week,” began Charlie, “But Meryl really had nothing to do with the photos and…”

“I understand that Charlie,” the President nodded, “I realise that even Meryl wouldn’t be reckless enough to purposely allow such compromising photographs of herself to be published online, but that’s not what we’re dealing with. The bigger problem here was that Meryl showed such poor judgement in allowing herself to be put in the position where such photographs could be taken in the first place.”

Meryl rolled her eyes, “I think you’ll find I’m twenty-two years old. I wasn’t doing anything illegal or wrong. I am entitled to a sex life you know!”

The President looked mildly like he was about to have a coronary before swiftly pulling himself together to reply to her.

“Miss Davis, whilst the Disciplinary Committee does understand that you are entirely within your rights to a …. Personal life, the public does not see things in such a way. You are the current United States Champion, the current World Champion, and you are a female ice dancer. America likes its female skaters to be princesses. Whilst we don’t actually expect you to live by these ideals in reality, it would be nice if you could at least attempt to convince the public that you do. May I remind you that your sponsorship deals, and furthermore the Association’s sponsorship deals and television rights to figure skating in general very much depend on your and Charlie’s success, and that means both on and off the rink.”

“Meryl, there is such a thing as bad publicity,” one of the other board members interjected with a raised eyebrow.

“Indeed,” continued the President, “And whilst we have been able to cover up other misdemeanours; the drunken antics with the French team at Trophee Bompard come to mind, we cannot continue to cover up your blatant disregard for maintaining the kind of image we expect for our Champions.”

Meryl bit her lip to supress the smirk which threatened to break out across her face as Trophee Bompard was mentioned. She bet that Nathalie, Fabian and the rest of the French team hadn’t been hauled in front of the FFSG just for having one shot too many the night of the exhibitions…

“So we’ve decided that we need to exercise some sort of damage control. You and Charlie are the face of the USFS. We don’t have any choice, at the moment we don’t have any other skaters who are remotely at your level in terms of consistency, performance and success. You’re all we have to promote the sport and we need you to improve your public image in order to protect our sponsorship deals. We’ve also been asked to send two representatives to the Presidential Dinner for Sports and Fitness at the White House and the US Olympic Committee has already requested that we send the two of you. Frankly, if it was up to us we’d be sending anyone else but you, but we have to follow the USOC’s requests.”

“However,” interjected another board member, “We will be monitoring you very closely and you need to understand that if your behaviour does not fit what we expect of a US Champion then we will pull your funding completely and your participation in the Grand Prix next year will be in jeopardy.”

Charlie gasped and Meryl dropped her gaze to her feet, this was not going well.

“But that’s not…”

“Charlie, we understand that you’ve done nothing wrong in this whole situation but Meryl’s actions unfortunately have an impact on you both as a team. I suggest that you encourage Meryl to behave in a way more befitting a US Champion, and if you aren’t able to do that then perhaps you should be thinking of finding another partner.”

“Hey!” Meryl’s head flew up, “Are you serious?”

“Perfectly,” nodded the President, “The choice is yours Meryl. Now, we have two ideas for damage control which we want to put into place by the end of the week. Neither are optional if you wish to continue to receive your funding and Grand Prix events, as we just discussed. The first is that you will make a statement; a written one, which we will send out via our usual media outlets, explaining how sorry you are for your poor lack of judgement, what you have learned from the situation, it was all a moment of madness, etcetera and so on. We’ll have someone draft it for you and send it on so you can see how sorry you are about the whole thing. You will not make any comments in the media and will not respond to any discussion on Twitter or Facebook or any other social media platform about the incident, is that understood?”

“Loud and clear,” Meryl saluted caustically.

“Secondly,” began the other Committee member, “We have arranged a program of “Community Service” if you will, in order to show the public how sorry you are for the whole incident and aim to display that you are making an effort to give back to the community and be the type of role model for children that we expect of you. This is non-negotiable.”

“Community service? What are you expecting me to do?” Meryl folded her arms defensively.

“We found something suitable, it’s nearby your rink and will look very good to sponsors. We may even use it on a publicity segment at Nationals if NBC is open to it. There’s a local not for profit company which provides dance classes for underprivileged children in Detroit. We thought it was the kind of activity you’d be well suited for. You can help with the dance classes, work with the children and hopefully it’ll keep you busy enough that you won’t get yourself into any other trouble.”

“When am I going to find time to do that? I already have training and school…”

“Miss Davis, it’s our understanding that you’re a member of a sorority at your school. If you have time for that, then you obviously have time to give back in other ways. Besides, I’m sure you could put it down as part of your philanthropy hours,” the President continued. “Now, that seems to be all we needed to discuss with you today. Head Office will be in touch about the details by the end of the week.”

He stood up and Meryl and Charlie scrambled to their feet, Charlie guiding a somewhat shell-shocked Meryl out the door.

“Oh and Meryl,” called the President, “Do try to stay out of trouble in the meantime…”


	2. Chapter 2 - An Angel from Above

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So I finally wrote an update to this fic. Sorry it’s taken so long - you know what it’s like at this time of year! I probably won’t have an update next week because I’m away for most of the weekend but once the holidays are here I’ll hopefully have a bit more time. Thank you so much for all the lovely comments and messages I received after the last chapter - they really meant a lot! xxx

Buzzing. Something was buzzing.

It was her alarm clock and at that precise moment, if she could find it she was going to smash it to pieces. Groaning, Meryl buried her head into the pillow further and tried to block out the sound, until she could stand it no more, reaching an arm out towards the night stand and knocking both the clock, and the large glass of water she’d set there the previous night, to the ground with a smash and a splash.

Buzz, buzz, buzz.

“For fuck’s sake…” she muttered, rolling over and reaching down to the floor, hands feeling about in the half-light for the offending item before hitting it off. Peace and quiet at last.

God her head hurt. Like _really_ hurt. Advil, she needed Advil.

Dragging herself out of bed, she grabbed what was left of her water glass and made her way down the hallway of the sorority house to the bathroom, finding the stash of Advil the girls kept there for post party mornings and slugging two back with some water. The rest of the house was silent; the Pi Kappa Beta girls never surfaced before at least noon on Saturdays.

After a long shower, she dressed and dragged herself out to her car, driving to the place she’d agreed to meet her mother for breakfast. She’d tried to get out of it, knowing from the disapproving tone on the end of the phone that she was in for a ticking off, but realised that resistance was futile.

Cheryl was already sat at a table in the back, sipping a cup of black coffee, when she arrived. She greeted her with a hug and they placed their orders with the waitress before Meryl sat down and Cheryl sighed deeply.

“So, tell me about the meeting with the USFS.”

Meryl shrugged, “It was about what you’d expect. Slap on the wrist, volunteer work at some dance studio that I’m going to after we’re finished here.”

Her mom looked sceptical, “That was it? No further warnings?”

Meryl neglected to mention the part about losing her funding and competitive assignments if anything else happened, “Yeah, not really.”

She glanced down at her coffee and swirled it around her cup absentmindedly, trying not to meet her mother’s gaze. They still hadn’t really talked about what had happened.

“Meryl, those photos though…”

She was momentarily interrupted by the waitress returning with their breakfast orders, before she resumed.

“Those photos!   I think what worries me most is that you seem totally unaffected by the whole entire thing! How did you get yourself into such a situation? I mean, are you dating Scott because…”

Meryl cut her off immediately, “First of all, no, I am most definitely not dating Scott Moir. I may have done some stupid things but I haven’t had a complete brain transplant. Secondly, it was unfortunate, but how was I supposed to know that someone would take photos and sell them to the media?”

“Meryl, maybe I’m an old dinosaur and god knows things were different in my day, but perhaps it would be wise to keep your…” Meryl could tell she was struggling for a polite term, “…romantic interactions in a more private location!”

“Mom, seriously, it’s not the end of the world!”

“Try telling your father that, Meryl!” her mother cut herself short suddenly, realising that her voice needed to be lowered, “He was mortified Meryl! All his colleagues have been gossiping about it! Do you know even the company director asked if there was anything he could do; he suggested they could pay for therapy for you!”

Meryl almost snorted the coffee she’d just sipped straight through her nose. “What?!”

Cheryl handed her a napkin and continued, “I think sometimes Meryl you don’t realise that your actions have implications on more than just yourself. Your father, your brother, how do you think your grandparents felt hearing about…”

“Okay, okay, I get it!” Meryl interrupted, “So I screwed up. I’m a disappointment, an embarrassment to the good Davis name; I get it!”

Cheryl sighed and silence fell between the two women. “Meryl, most of all, I’m worried about you.”

“Really? There’s no need,” she crossed her arms defensively and leaned back in the booth.

“It’s not just me, Meryl. Everyone who loves you is worried; your father, Clay, Charlie…”

“Charlie doesn’t love me,” Meryl scoffed. “He’s just worried that I’ll tarnish his perfect reputation.”

Cheryl reached a hand across the table and Meryl reluctantly let her take it. “Yes he does Meryl. Of course he loves you.” She tilted her head to the side, trying to read her daughter’s expression as she set her jaw, gazing intently at her lap. “What happened between you two? You’ve never told me, and I feel like you’re holding back on me.”

“Nothing _happened_ ,” Meryl replied, making air quotes. “I don’t get why you think there’s this long, drawn out story between us.

“Okay, I won’t push anymore,” Cheryl agreed. “But I do worry about you Meryl, what happened to my sweet baby?”

Meryl reached into her purse and pulled out a few notes, putting them on the table to cover her half of the check.

“She grew up, Mom.”

And with that, she stood up, giving her mother a cursory kiss on the cheek and made her way purposefully towards the door.

It wasn’t until she was in her car, driving a safe distance away from the restaurant that she allowed the tears she’d been holding back to fall.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Maks eyed the clock as he flipped the lever on the coffee machine, pouring the last espresso of the morning into hot milk and handing it to the customer with a smile, before tossing his apron towards his co-worker and disappearing into the break room to grab his stuff. It was only eleven, and already he felt like he’d worked a full day.

Grabbing his bag and running out to his old beaten up Chevy, he grabbed a huge bite of a muffin, devouring it before he’d even put on his seatbelt. Job one done for the day, now onto job two.

The suburban Detroit roads were mercifully quiet, even for a Sunday morning, and he made quick time into the city towards the dance studio. He’d been making the commute for nearly two years, since arriving in Ann Arbor to attend college, and finding himself missing teaching at his dad’s dance school. Of course he’d been unable to resist when he’d been asked to run a free class for local kids who’d otherwise not be able to afford lessons, and despite the rush from one job to the other, it was the highlight of his week.

That being said, he’d been finding the balance between work, school and dance a little stressful lately. As a chem major he’d had some fairly intense exams over the past few weeks, as well as labs due and having to take extra shifts at work to make ends meet. As much as he loved his voluntary work with the program kids at the studio, it was another stress in his life, and knowing that the annual show was nearing, along with the fact that he had another new “helper” that morning, was just making his blood pressure rise further.

The studio parking lot was almost deserted when he arrived, and he headed inside, hoping to grab ten minutes with his textbook for a quick power-study. Flicking on the lights and trying to crank up the ancient heater in the corner of the studio, he sat down, keeping his coat on and diving straight into the chapter he’d been trying futilely to study the previous night when he’d fallen asleep.

“Excuse me,” a small voice, interrupted, just as he’d finally got into a comfortable position.

He looked up to see a girl stood at the door, arms wrapped around herself against the cold, long brown hair tucked under a white woollen hat.

“You must be Meryl,” he dropped the textbook down beside him and made his way across the floor to shake her hand. She nodded and smiled back at him, “Sorry, am I too early?”

“Not at all, the kids will be here in five minutes or so. I’m Maks by the way. I run the program on Sundays and teach here a few times during the week.”

“Nice to meet you,” she smiled nervously, and Maks could see her eyes taking in the details of the studio. She was cute, that was for sure, at least she had that much going for her that the other volunteers he’d been sent hadn’t. He just hoped she turned out to be more use than they had; the best one of the lot had barely lasted three weeks.

“So,” he clapped his hands together, “D’you want to dump your stuff over here by the music machine? We have thirty kids in the program, I don’t know how much you’ve already been told?”

“Pretty much nothing,” she admitted sheepishly, unzipping her coat and peeling off her hat.

“So we run the program for kids from the inner city who’d never have any access to dance or the arts,” he continued, “It’s a great program; the kids get a lot out of it. What I’m looking for, is you to help with the class, just making your way around the kids as we go through the dances if any of them are struggling, and encourage the little shy ones.”

“Okay,” Meryl nodded thoughtfully.

“I’m sorry, I never even asked if you have much dance experience. I know most of the volunteers don’t.”

She smiled, “Actually that’s one area I should be okay in; I’m an ice dancer. I don’t know all the technical details in full but I’m sure I can manage the basics.”

“Great!” he sighed, “So, ice dance? Do you compete?”

She nodded and smiled shyly, “Yes, my partner and I are at a reasonably high level so…”

“Define reasonably high level…” he laughed.

“Umm… World Champions?” she replied, wincing.

“No freakin’ way!” he laughed, “I can’t believe you didn’t just tell me that right away!”

She laughed, and he could feel her nerves beginning to lessen, “It’s kind of hard to drop into conversation casually without sounding like a total bragger! Oh excuse me, I’m the World Champion!”

They both chuckled and he found himself taking in her appearance more carefully. She was absolutely tiny; that should have been his first clue to her athleticism, although it had been hard to tell when she’d been bundled up in her winter coat. Her hair that she’d now tied back had fallen right down her back in waves, and her eyes were completely fascinating; wide set under huge dark lashes. She had a definite air of mystery about her, that was for sure.

The kids arrived and he could tell that a few were immediately taken with their new helper. Most of the volunteers he’d had before had been kids in their late teens who had figured it looked good on their resume for college, or had been forced to as part of their school service programs. Meryl was a little older and had a sweet, gentle manner with the children which immediately had them eating out of her hand. He’d watched, genuinely impressed, as she’d worked for several minutes with Martha; a little girl who most often sat in the corner, never spoke and was too shy to get up and dance. After a few minutes, she’d coaxed her away, holding her hand and they’d stood at the edge of the floor, Meryl crouching down to the little girl’s level, talking to her quietly as they watched the other dancers. Ten minutes later, Martha had gingerly begun to dance a little at the side of the floor, with Meryl holding her hand. Later on in the class Meryl had convinced her to have a try at dancing with one of the older boys, who had been really sweet with her, obviously happy to have pleased the new teaching assistant.

Halfway through the class Maks realised that things were moving far more smoothly than they normally did. He didn’t have to stop the class to deal with a shoe to tie; Meryl had already dealt with it. He didn’t have to deal with the brother and sister who fought every week; Meryl had already split them up with different partners. Then he realised it’d be useful to have a female partner to demonstrate a new step with and as soon as he’d held his hand out to her, she had perceptively known what he’d wanted and had flown across the room to take his hand.

And if he was honest with himself, holding her hand hadn’t exactly been a hardship either.

There had been enthusiastic applause from the kids as they’d finished demonstrating the simple step, and she’d flushed a little, both of them laughing as Maks bowed and made her curtsey.

“So what do you say kids, do we want Meryl to stay?” he asked the class, receiving resounding squeals of approval.

“I think that’s a definite yes,” he smiled towards her, giving her hand a quick squeeze.

And it wasn’t just the children feeling that way. There was something completely fascinating about this angel that someone had seen fit to send his way, and he was definitely open to finding out more!


	3. Chapter 3 - Knight in Shining Armour

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! So I finally updated this fic, sorry it’s been so long, I’ve no real excuses other than I’m crap at updating. I hope you all enjoy this – thank you so much for all the likes, reblogs and comments, I appreciate them so much!!!   
> Quick warning – there’s a non-consensual situation in this chapter. It’s not overly severe but I wanted to warn anyone who has a trigger for this type of thing.

Summer had seemingly arrived in the blink of an eye, blanketing the city in a sticky, close heat and almost sucking the air from the streets until Meryl longed for the never-ending bitterness of the Detroit winter almost wistfully. It had been nearly a month since she’d started volunteering at the studio and though she’d never admit it to Charlie or their coaches, it had secretly become the highlight of her week. Of course, how much that had to do with the actual volunteering and how much it had to do with her “supervisor” was entirely open to interpretation.

She glanced across the studio at him as he worked with the kids; the fire exit was thrown open, a rickety music speaker acting as a make-do doorjamb to encourage a non-existent breeze from outside to hopefully dispel some of the stuffiness in the air. She had steadily peeled the layers from her body as they’d worked, until she was left in a pair of yoga pants and a thin, strappy tank, piling her hair on top of her head and swiping at the constant stream of sweat at the back of her neck. It was on days like this that she was glad she’d chosen to spend most of her summers in an ice rink.

“Okay kids, one more time with the music and then you’re free to enjoy the sunshine!” Maks’ deep voice bellowed cheerfully across the room, earning him a cheer from the kids who had been gazing longingly at the fire hydrant outside the open door, as though if they willed it enough it would start spouting at any moment.

“Last time so let’s make it a good one, okay?” he ruffled a little girl’s hair as he passed, earning himself a shy smile from the child, who suddenly stood a little taller. Meryl almost audibly sighed, mentally chastising her ovaries for exploding internally, which they did on pretty much ten minute intervals every time she was at the studio. It was frankly embarrassing how much she was beginning to act like a lovesick puppy dog around him. Charlie would have a field day if he could see her.

“Okay, last chance; find a new friend to dance with!” Maks called, turning his back to begin to cue the music as the kids scrambled around the room, laughing as they re-partnered up. It was all part of the social aspect of the program for him; making the kids comfortable talking to other kids, learning how to work together and respect everyone.

“Mr Maks, why do you and Miss Meryl never dance together?” piped up Ashley, a sassy eight year old with a penchant for wearing as many loomband bracelets as was physically possible to fit onto one arm.

“I was dancing with Miss Meryl earlier, kiddo!” Maks laughed, flicking her ponytail and earning a mock glare from the child.

“No you weren’t, you were just showing us the steps!” Ashley continued, “Why don’t you ever dance for fun together, like with the music?”

“Maybe he’s frightened we’ll think he loves her!” teased an older boy from the back of the room, “Come on Mr Maks, you know what you always tell us when we won’t dance together, _just because you dance with someone doesn’t mean you looooove them!”_

The kids giggled and Maks rolled his eyes, “Maybe he does loooove her though!” Ashley blurted out, before covering her mouth with her hands and taking off around the studio as Maks chased her, catching her round the waist and squealing as the whole room dissolved into giggles. He good-naturedly deposited her back on her feet and shook his head, his cheeks a little coloured after their teasing.

“Miss Meryl, may I have this dance?” he held out a hand theatrically towards her, and the kids cheered as she accepted it, letting him pull her into hold.

“And no, I don’t looooove her!” he mock glared at them, before spinning Meryl and dipping her suddenly into a passionate tango-style dip, earning more giggles and a few squeals of appreciation from the tween girl section near the back. Meryl herself managed to contain the squeak which had almost threatened to escape her lips as he’d dipped her, his palm flat against her back, fingers splayed against the bare skin peeking out between her tank and her waistband. _Not in front of the children_ , she reminded herself for the hundredth time that morning.

*~*~*~*~*~

The kids had been leaving in dribs and drabs until it was just the two of them left in the studio. Meryl was about to pack up her things when she caught Maks staring at her across the room from his position, crouched at the music, hands clasped on his thighs, deep in thought.

“What?” she blushed, wondering if she looked as much of a hot, sweaty mess as she felt.

He laughed and shook his head as though breaking himself out of a trance, “I was just thinking,” he began, “The kids were right about us not dancing together, and it’s stupid. You’re a great dancer, and I miss dancing with a great dancer.”

She put down her bag and crossed the room towards him a little unsurely, “So you want us to dance?” she tilted her head to the side as he rose to his feet.

“Well… just for fun,” he suggested, “And it’d be good to have someone to choreograph with for my older students; it’s hard working out the girl’s part when my body doesn’t really move that way,” he smiled and she caught her lower lip between her teeth nervously as she noticed his eyes glance almost imperceptibly down past her hips and back up again, his face flushing as though he knew he’d been caught staring.

“So, what did you have in mind?” she tested, as he got to his feet, scratching the back of his head nervously.

“Umm… I’m teaching this couple just now who are working on a rumba, so…”

He held out his hand and she tentatively took it, giggling at the awkwardness as he pulled her gently into a dance hold.

“So, how much dance do you know anyway? I know you told me you’re an ice dancer but I’ve no real idea how much ballroom and Latin there is involved in that.”

She shrugged, “Bits and pieces. We sometimes have dance coaches come in and work with us, and the rhythms are the same obviously, but the steps on the ice are totally different. I guess blades just don’t quite work the same as feet!”

“World Champion, eh?”

She nodded and blushed, “I know, you’re probably thinking I should be a whole lot better at dancing considering…”

“Not at all,” he interrupted, “You’re a beautiful dancer; you might not know all the steps, but the way you move…” he trailed off, looking a little embarrassed and they both looked away, each not comfortable looking the other in the eye. “So, how does a World Champion ice dancer end up volunteering at a dance program for Detroit city kids? You must have pissed off someone pretty badly!” his tone was decidedly teasing.

“Oh, you have no idea!” she laughed, racking her brains for the quickest excuse she could come up with. “I had some spare time, and the association had heard about the program. I just thought it sounded like a great way I could get involved a little more in the community.”

She smiled up at him and he nodded thoughtfully, “Well, I really appreciate the help, and I know the kids do too; they all love you, you’re great with them.”

She blushed, half at his compliment and half with shame because she’d just lied to him. Why had she lied to him? Why couldn’t she have just told him the truth? She shook her head as if to rid herself of the doubt and focused on the task at hand.

“So you’re gonna have to remind me of the footwork because we haven’t done rumba with the kids; no idea why…” she smiled up at him from beneath her lashes and she could see him flush a little; it was endearing, no, scratch that, it was damn sexy.

She knew he could tell from her tone that she was just teasing him and he tightened his grip around her waist, “Just follow me,” he smiled, leading her into a basic rumba figure, leaving her almost swooning at how easily he allowed her to anticipate his movements. She’d only had basic Latin training and it was thrilling to dance with a man whose lead she could follow so intuitively. He led her through a series of turns, letting her finish with a rope spin before pulling her into him, flush against his chest, a little off balance at the speed and sudden stop.

“Wow…” she couldn’t help but breathe, looking up at him as her hands splayed across his chest. “That was… you’re an incredible dancer.”

“It’s easy when you have a great partner,” he smiled down at her, his gaze flickering between her eyes and her lips. He was definitely looking at her lips. She could feel her breathing quicken and every single hair on the back of her neck stand up as his arms, which had been around her waist, seemed to tighten imperceptibly before one of his hands stroked a slow path up her arm, his index finger finally coming to rest under her chin, tilting her head until they were both leaning…

“I forgot my shoes Mr Maks!”

They jumped apart as though they’d been hit by a massive electric shock, Meryl immediately turning around and walking back across the room towards her things as a little girl made her way into the studio, completely oblivious to the moment she’d just interrupted.

“Uh, okay, they’re right there on the chairs,” Maks composed himself quickly and the kid grabbed her shoes, saying goodbye before leaving as quickly as she’d arrived.

“So, thanks for the help,” Maks offered nonchalantly across the studio floor, beginning to pack up his shoes and music.

“Oh, no problem!” she waved breezily, feeling anything but. “I hope you sort out the choreography you were stuck on.”

Each of them grabbed their belongings, heading out of the studio hastily whilst avoiding eye contact. Inside, Meryl was screaming; screaming with excitement at what had just happened, and screaming at the kid for interrupting what could have been…

Yet at the same time she was confused. Meryl Davis wasn’t the kind of girl to get into these sorts of romantic situations. She did quick hook-ups and short flings. Why had this dance instructor got under her skin so much?

*~*~*~*~*~*~

The heavy bass of some vaguely familiar dance music pumped out through the frat house and Meryl dragged her hand away from her sister, Tiffany’s, miming that she needed a drink, before heading towards the kitchen. It was late and she had practice the next morning; the rational side of her knew that she should probably call it a night and head back to the house to grab some sleep, but the other side of her didn’t want to be seen as a party-pooper by her sisters and the Beta Gamma Alpha boys.

She was already a little buzzed after a few beers and an unidentified drink which had tasted pretty gross but had loosened her up quite a bit. Glancing over the drinks in the kitchen she was about to grab a Diet Coke from the mixers when she felt an arm slip around her shoulder.

“Hey, I can get you a drink…”

She looked up to see the face of Taylor, one of the seniors from the Beta Gamma Alphas gazing down at her with a warm smile. She knew him pretty well, they’d hooked up once or twice when she was still a freshman and at the time she’d been head over heels only to realise that he was after one thing, and one thing only.

“Thanks, I’m good,” she smiled tersely, extricating herself from his arm and grabbing a can.

He tilted his head to the side with mock petulance. “Meryl! Come on, things aren’t that bad between us are they? At least let me get you a glass?” He held out his hand and petted his lip in what she was sure he thought was an adorable manner. Rolling her eyes she handed the can over.

“Fine,” she leaned back against the doorframe and avoided looking at him, lest she encourage him further; instead busying herself looking at nothing in particular on her phone as though it was the most fascinating thing she’d ever seen.

“Your drink, Madam!” Taylor held out the glass to her with a mock courtly bow, leaning his arm up against the doorjamb above her head. “So, I haven’t seen you around at the last few parties, what you been up to?”

“School, skating…” she shrugged, non-committally, taking a quick swig of her drink and thinking that she should finish it quickly to get away from him.

“Oh cool, are you still doing that?”

She managed not to roll her eyes, “Yeah, I’m still skating,” she replied, taking another swig of her drink.

He grinned and slid his arm further down the door, moving his body closer to hers as more party goers pushed through the space to get to the drinks. “So, are you like the next Michelle Kwan or something?”

She looked up at him and sighed, he was trying to sound interested, she would give him that. “Michelle Kwan was singles, I do ice dance.”

“So, like with a partner?”

“Yup.”

“So, what’s the story?”

“The story?”

He shrugged, “Well, are you guys doing it off the ice too or is he gay?”

How she managed not to roll her eyes, she had no idea. “Neither; he’s not gay and we’re not doing anything off the ice.”

He chuckled and slipped the arm which had been against the door, back around her waist, leaning in to whisper in her ear. “Are you sure he’s not gay, because how could any straight guy dance with _you_ without wanting more?”

His breath was hot against her ear and even against her better judgement she could feel her body responding. She took another swig of her drink, feeling a little light-headed, not knowing how to respond.

“I mean,” he continued, pulling her closer against his side, “I’m sure you look all kinds of sexy in those little outfits you wear on the ice, and I bet with all that skating you can do all sorts of crazy things with your legs…”

He stepped sideways until he was pinning her almost to the doorframe, his other hand reaching around her and settling flat against the bare skin of her back, just below the hem of her little Pi Kappa Beta crop top. She had half a mind to push him away, but the other half just felt so buzzed and so comfortable and he really was pretty hot…

He had just leaned forwards, his lips beginning to suck against the sensitive skin of her neck, when one of the frat boys’ woops pierced through the noisy hubbub of the room.

“Wooo hooo! Tequila!” he held a bottle aloft, above his head and the room responded excitedly.

“Body shots! Body shots!” two of the guys started to chant and the next thing she knew they were all pushing their way outside to the backyard of the frat house, and Taylor’s arms were around her waist, his pelvis pushing against her butt as they watched one of her sisters enthusiastically laying on the yard table as a guy started licking salt from her neck.

Meryl took another swig of her drink, closing her eyes and resting her head back against Taylor’s chest as everyone whooped around them. She felt so sleepy…

“Mer-yl! Mer-yl! Mer-yl!” she was rudely awakened by the sound of her own name being chanted and the next thing she knew, Taylor was lifting her by the hips to sit on the table, his hands pushing her shoulders down against the wood as the crowd cheered. She felt a strange sense of confusion, like she couldn’t quite work out how she’d got there; yet at the back of her mind this felt distinctly like a bad idea. She could see cameras out, people beginning to video and as she felt his tongue against the bare skin of her navel she pushed to sit up suddenly.

“No, this is a bad…”

“Relax Meryl!” Taylor laughed, sprinkling salt over her and reaching back down to lick it from her body.

“But, no, I don’t…”

She fought to sit up once again and she could hear booing from the crowd. Tears welled up at the back of her eyes as he pushed her back against the table; she didn’t want to be doing this.

The next thing she knew there was a gasp from the crowd and Taylor’s mouth detached suddenly from her skin, replaced instead by two large arms, scooping her off the table and up against a distinctly familiar body.

“Dude! What the fuck?!” she heard Taylor’s voice yelling, and looked up, feeling dazed and unsteady, into the eyes of Maks Chmerkovskiy.

“Maks?”

“You okay?” he asked, holding her tightly in his arms. She shook her head and pursed her lips, trying not to cry. “You’re coming with me,” he reassured her, giving Taylor a final shove and making his way back around the house to the front, onto the street.

By now she was crying; huge, fat, wet tears streamed down her face, certainly causing her mascara to run and probably leaving her looking like a total mess. She didn’t care at that moment; instead burying her face in Maks’ shoulder and letting him carry her further down the street until they were a safe distance away from the house. He stopped, sitting her down on the wall of a random front yard, reaching into his pocket.

“Damn, I don’t even have any Kleenex.”

She leaned against his shoulder, feeling completely unsteady, her tears still falling.

“Are you okay, Meryl?”

She nodded, rubbing her eyes and sobbing against him. She had no idea what on earth had happened. One minute she’d been only a little tipsy and the next she’d found herself doing body shots.

“If the federation find out…” she gasped between sobs, “people had cameras…”

Maks looked her, completely perplexed by what she was talking about. “Are you okay though Meryl? Did he hurt you?”

She shook her head, beginning to finally get her tears under control but not really able to speak.

“Okay, I think I should get you home.” He looked around, presumably for a cab, not that he’d find one anywhere nearby. Finally he seemed to make a decision, “Pi Kappa Beta, right?”

She nodded and he turned around, lifting her up onto his back, slinging her arms around his shoulders and slipping his arms under her knees. “Okay, Princess, homeward we go.”

*~*~*~*~*~*~

She hadn’t known when she’d fallen asleep, but she awoke to Maks slipping his arms back around her to place her gently on the front step of the sorority house, gently running a hand down her face and shaking her shoulder to wake her.

“Meryl, we’re back at your house, I need your key.”

She reached into the pocket of her short jean skirt, fumbling around until he blushed, reaching out into her pocket himself, finding the key and opening the door.

“Do you think you can make it to your room from here?” he chanced, looking decidedly like he’d realised that wasn’t going to happen. Instead of waiting for an answer, he slipped his arms under her legs and carried her bridal style into the house, kicking the front door shut behind him and making his way up the stairs.

“I’m really hoping you’ve got a name plate on your door or we could be here a while…” she could hear him chuckle as he slowly ascended the stairs, her head lolling against his chest. “Okay, thank the lord; you’re on the second floor.” He pushed open the door and carried her in, lowering her to the bed and kneeling down beside her.

“You okay?” he whispered his voice suddenly lower now that they were in her room.

She nodded, feeling a little more aware of her surroundings, and suddenly conscious of the fact that she was lying in her bed less than a foot away from the man she’d been flirting with for the past few weeks.

“Thanks to you,” she admitted, “you’re my knight in shining armour, Maks.”

He laughed and scratched the back of his head, looking a little uncomfortable with her slurred confession.

“Okay well, in that case, Princess, I think it’s time you got some sleep.”

“Thank you,” she whispered, reaching out to slip her arms around his neck and hug him.

He chuckled, hugging her back before pulling away. He was just about to stand up when she caught his eye and reached forward suddenly, pulling him towards her and pressing her lips urgently against his.

He pulled back instantly and she gasped in embarrassment.

“No, Meryl,” he insisted, “not like this.”

She felt herself sober up almost immediately, tears springing at her eyes. “But…but…I…. oh god, I’ve made such a fool… you don’t want me…oh god…”

“Meryl…” he crouched back down beside her and took her wrists in his hands, pulling them away from her face and forcing her to look at him.

“This is not about that,” he spoke with genuine warmth in his voice. “But you’re drunk, at the very least… in fact, I don’t know what that jerk has given you. I’m not going to take advantage of you, okay?”

She raised her eyes to look at him, and he reached out to wipe a tear away, “And if by any small chance you remember any of this tomorrow, we can talk then, okay?”

She nodded; a sense of calm coming back over her as he pulled her back into his arms, hugging her against him. “I’m gonna go now, I can hear one of your sisters just got home so I’m gonna get her to come up here and check on you.”

“Okay…” she replied, going limp in his arms.

And the last thing she remembered as she drifted off to sleep was his warm, soft lips against her cheek and his hand brushing her hair off her forehead.

“Sweet dreams, Meryl.”

 

 


	4. Chapter 4 - A Walk in the Park

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I’m so sorry I’ve not updated this in ages. I just haven’t been feeling very inspired at all – I’ve no real excuse other than that. Thank you to the anon who messaged me today because you gave me a kick up the backside to get started again! Sorry this is just a short chapter. I wanted to post it rather than making it a longer one because I was worried I’d not finish it and never get this posted! Thank you to all the lovely people who have left me kudos and reviews!

Bright light glared through the window of her dorm room and Meryl squinted as she opened her eyes, her head immediately pounding and reminding her of the night before. For a second she felt disorientated and then it all came back, like a freight train hitting her full pelt in the stomach. Groaning, she rolled over in bed, pulling the pillow over her head and wishing for the hundredth time in her life that she could be the type of drunk who forgot the night before.

But Meryl Davis’ brain was way too sharp for anything like that.

Every detail of the whole sorry evening began to flow back in glorious Technicolor and she could feel her cheeks fire red with embarrassment. Maks had found her; he’d saved her more accurately. But what would he think of her now that he’d seen her true colours? She had no idea why he’d been at the party in the first place – she knew he was a student but they’d never really talked about school much, and she’d not been keen for him to realise her sorority involvement; she wasn’t sure why, somehow she just didn’t want him to make the usual assumptions… and for those assumptions to be proven correct.

She’d been compartmentalising with Maks. At the rink and at the house she’d been her usual self, but around him… it was like she was back to the old Meryl, the girl whose disappearance her mother had lamented at breakfast just the other day. Something about Maks’ hardworking nature and gentlemanly behaviour towards her had brought out a side that she rarely allowed anyone to see; it was like he made her want to be a better person, the kind of girl who would deserve him. And now she’d gone and blown it; he’d seen through her and that would be it – whatever fragile flirtation they’d had going on would be iced and he’d probably want nothing more to do with her, especially now that she’d thrown herself at him.

Meryl lifted the pillow from over her head and flipped over, hugging it to her chest as she swallowed a hard lump in her throat, failing to fight back a few hot tears which escaped down her cheeks, streaking the mascara left over from the previous night’s misadventure. Once again she’d royally screwed everything up, just like everyone expected.

She lay wallowing for a few moments and then dragged herself to a sitting position, realising that someone had left her water and Advil by her bed. Chugging the water back gratefully, she hauled herself out of bed, taking a long look at her reflection in the mirror and wincing. Her makeup was a riot, her hair was a mess and she had huge dark circles under her eyes.

“You need to get a hold of yourself!” her reflection scolded her, and she took a deep breath, grabbing her wash bag from the foot of her bed and heading out towards the shower. This was not over; the old Meryl might have been sweet and well-mannered, but new Meryl was downright stubborn, and if she’d learned one thing from her; it was that she wasn’t going to go down without a fight.

*~*~*~*~*~

Her bravado all but disappeared as soon as she found herself at the door to the studio. She’d purposely dressed more demurely, swapping her shorts for a pair of jeans, and in the Detroit summer heat she’d quickly regretted her decision. She stood at the entrance to the building for a good few minutes, fiddling with her phone to try to look occupied, but too chicken to open the door. Finally the decision was made for her as Maks strode across the hallway inside, noticing her loitering and pulling open the door.

“Were you planning on coming in or just enjoying the scenery?” he teased, leaning against the door frame and raising an eyebrow at her.

She bit her lip sheepishly, “I was kind of trying to work up the courage…”

“Because I’m so scary?” he laughed.

“You know why…” she rolled her eyes at her own embarrassment and slunk in, letting Maks close the door behind her and heading down the hallway to the main studio.

It was pretty much silent inside, save for the steady thrum of traffic moving outside and the occasional thump from the archaic air conditioning unit which Maks had optimistically turned on that day, though to pretty much no avail. Light streamed through the high windows onto the floor below and gave his skin the kind of golden glow that made Meryl itch to reach out and run her finger across it as he stood; legs apart with arms folded, regarding her softly and yet with a certain amount of bemusement.

“I’m so sorry,” Meryl began, figuring it was easier to get it out like pulling a Band-Aid off, “I made such a fool of myself, and I just can’t even begin to tell you how sorry I am, and you probably think I’m an idiot and who knows what else and I’m just so sorry…”

“Hey…” he interrupted her ramble, reaching a hand out rest on her shoulder, “Calm down, it’s okay.”

She took a deep breath and ran her hand through her hair, “I’m sorry, I can get incoherent and not make much sense…”

“You think?” he laughed, “Listen, are you busy? Why don’t we take a walk? I don’t have a class for a few hours; I came in early to get a head start on choreography. This place isn’t the best for staying cool and calm.”

She nodded, exhaling a breath she didn’t even know she’d been holding. “That sounds nice.”

*~*~*~*~*~

It was cooler down by the waterfront and they ambled along the riverside pathway, only the occasional jogger or dog walker passing them by. Maks had consciously slowed his pace so she could keep up with his much longer stride and she slowly found herself beginning to relax.

“Feeling any better yet?” he smiled warmly.

“I’m sorry, I don’t normally sound that crazy,” she admitted, “I just wanted to explain last night, if that’s even possible.”

He stopped, turning to face her before leading her over to a nearby bench. “Meryl, I don’t know why you feel you have to explain anything.”

“I do,” she insisted, “please let me.”

He nodded, and she sat down next to him.

“So, last night…” she faltered, now suddenly unsure of where to begin and what to tell him. “I guess you’ve realised I’m in a sorority by now…”

“I must admit, if the shirt you were wearing wasn’t a big enough clue, carrying you up the stairs of your dorm house was probably going to give you away.”

“I don’t know why I didn’t tell you. I guess I just felt a bit embarrassed…”

“Why? I’ve got friends who are in frats. I mean, why else would I be at that party last night?”

“Yeah, I did wonder,” she admitted, “But you know the kind of reputation that sorority girls can have…”

“What, like passing out at parties and needing carried home?” he teased.

“Thank you very much for reminding me, just in case I’d forgotten,” she sassed, raising an eyebrow and earning a chuckle from him.

“I guess I just thought… you seem so together, and so mature and responsible and I didn’t want you to think I was just some dumb, immature sorority girl.”

“So you were trying to impress me?” he seemed genuinely surprised.

She screwed her eyes up tightly and winced, wishing the ground could open up and swallow her. “Maybe…”

She opened one eye tentatively and he was grinning from ear to ear, “So is that what the trying to kiss me thing last night was all about because…”

“Ohhh god…” she dropped her face into her hands in mortification and he laughed heartily.

“Meryl, there’s no need to be embarrassed. You’d had a bit to drink and I’ve got a real suspicion that the jerk you were with had given you something. The way you were acting wasn’t just drunk; you were almost passed out asleep. Besides, I know of him through friends and I would trust the guy as far as I could throw him.”

“So you’re not mad at me?”

He laughed and shook his head, “Seriously Meryl, I think I can handle a tiny little thing like you throwing herself at me. I don’t think I was in danger at any point.”

She swatted his arm playfully and flushed red, “I was just worried what you’d think of me. I was so sure you were going to tell me you didn’t want me to come back and help at the studio. I’m so sorry.”

She bit her lip nervously at her admission and his expression softened until finally he reached out and slipped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into his side and hugging her. “You have nothing to be sorry for. Why would you think I wouldn’t you at the studio? The kids adore you and I love…” he stopped suddenly and she cocked her head up towards him with a puzzled expression on her face.

“What?”

“I was going to say I love teaching with you, but it’s more than that. I love dancing with you, I love talking to you and spending time with you.”

She felt a different kind of blush come to her cheeks and cast her gaze down to her feet.

“And maybe it took a lot of self-restraint for me last night not to let you have your wicked way with me,” he teased, earning himself a playful shove. “So I was thinking,” he stood up and she followed suit, matching his gait along the path once more and almost gasping as she felt his arm brush against her own, before finally reaching out and slipping her small hand into his much larger one. “Maybe, I could take you out on a date?”

“I’d like that,” she smiled shyly, her heart beating ninety to the dozen as his thumb traced feather-soft circles against hers. Looking up at him and feeling herself giddy with happiness at just the touch of his fingers against hers, she felt distinctly like the Meryl Davis of old.

He made her feel like herself again.

 


End file.
